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Subcontractor Notifies VA of Missing Computer
with Vet Files
August 7, 2006
VA, Law Enforcement Authorities Investigating
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced
that a subcontractor, hired to assist in insurance collections for VA’s
medical centers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, has informed the
Department that a desktop computer containing personal information on
some veterans is missing from the company’s offices.
“VA’s Inspector General, the FBI and local law enforcement are
conducting a thorough investigation of this matter,” said the Honorable
R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
VA was notified on the afternoon of Thursday, August 3, by the
subcontractor, Unisys Corporation, that the computer was missing from
its Reston, Va., offices. VA immediately dispatched a team to Unisys to
assist in the search for the missing computer and to help determine the
precise nature of the information it may have contained.
While the investigation is in an early stage, VA believes the records
involved are limited to people who received treatment at the two
Pennsylvania medical centers during the past four years. It is believed
the desktop computer may have contained patients’ names, addresses,
Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, insurance carriers and billing
information, dates of military service, and claims data that may include
some medical information.
Initial estimates indicate the desktop contained information on
approximately 5,000 patients treated at Philadelphia, approximately
11,000 patients treated at Pittsburgh, and approximately 2,000 deceased
patients. VA is also investigating the possibility the computer may have
contained information on approximately another 20,000 people who
received care through the Pittsburgh medical center.
Investigators are working on this incident with the full cooperation of
Unisys. VA is also working with Unisys regarding the offer of credit
monitoring and individual notifications to those who may be affected.
Upon learning the computer was missing, VA personnel took immediate
steps to notify the appropriate senior VA leadership, including the
Secretary and Deputy Secretary, appropriate congressional offices and
committees, VA’s Office of the Inspector General and other law
enforcement authorities, including the FBI and the Department of
Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Response Team.
The ongoing investigation will provide VA more details on the precise
number of veterans whose information the computer may have contained. VA
will provide further updates as the investigation produces additional
information.
“VA is making progress to reform its information technology and cyber
security procedures, but this report of a missing computer at a
subcontractor’s secure building underscores the complexity of the work
ahead as we establish VA as a leader in data and information security,”
Nicholson added.
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Larry Scott
